"Making sure Israel is safe is a sacred, bipartisan, inviolable cornerstone of American foreign policy. But is it really so important that America be the nation that provides that protection?" he asked in an opinion piece titled "Why Russia should take over Israel's defense from America."
Such a framework is not a novel idea. According to the senior editor at The Week, Russia and Israel are already warming up to each other and the reasons for the nascent friendship are abundant. Consider Israel's large Russian-speaking population, for example.
Should Russia be interested in the new Middle Eastern security architecture, Israel would benefit from the major military modernization Russia is currently undergoing. "If Russia signed on, Israel could be assured of advanced weapons and enough nuclear backup to scare the daylights out of even the most hostile nation or nonstate group," Weber observed.
Moscow aspires to improve its global standing and becoming Israel's patron could be instrumental in that. "The country that protects Israel is guaranteed a seat at the table when it comes to many of the biggest, most high-profile challenges in the global arena," Weber pointed out.
In addition, Russia and Israel have a shared stance on Islamic extremism and terrorism.
Although closer ties between Russia and Israel "could be a hard pill for the US to swallow," the relations would be beneficial for all, including Washington, Weber said, citing the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an example.
The US has put a lot of effort into helping the rivaling factions reach an agreement but "seems to have run out of steam as lead intermediary," he said. At the moment Moscow is better positioned to serve as an honest broker in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Russia and Israel are already friendly, at least in a casual way, and the US wouldn't become Israel's enemy – but if everyone would benefit from a Mideast realignment, there's no need to stay together for nostalgia's sake," Weber concluded.
